21st Altruiak

Midnight passes as the battle rages around us, the Drow forces retreat back into the dark and the giants step away from draining the mythal. We take a brief rest as we reform our lines.  Amidst the drow bodies we find some magic items and distribute them.

Noise comes from darkness and the sparking hands reappear on the mythal.  Combat is joined. Arust lets two arrows fly, both hit one of the Eldrich Giants. Brenna readies, Flick throws his axe into the darkness. The giants shoot magic missiles at Arust and hit him once. Cynrain misses. Straelyn misses. I take a step up and get ready to fight. Then out of the darkness, a large black full of shadows mantis thing, called a Shadow Hulk. Brenna responds by hitting it with an Illusionary Ambush. His maddening gaze assaults us, we're all driven crazy and will attack our nearest enemies. Then it hits Arust and grabs him.

Arust has Gnolldeath attack Cyn, who misses, and fails his save. Brenna attacks me with a melee basic and damages me a little. Flick hits Cynrain and does a little damage too, and then saves. The Giants both shoot magic missiles at Flick, one hit, one miss, and he takes a little bit of damage. Cynrain attacks Gnolldeath and does a little damage. Straelyn attacks Brenna and misses. I attack Cynrain and miss, then make my save. The monster does nothing.

Arust shoots Straelyn for a little damage, then makes his save. GD saves too. Brenna attacks Straelyn and misses, then fails her save. Flick uses Mauling Badger, and misses. The Giants shoot magic missiles at Cynrain, both hit, he takes it like a man. Cynrain leaps infront of Brenna and Strae and engages it in melee, hits it once for a bunch and follows it up with a second hit too. Straelyn hits it with a Pillar of Guardian Flame, and does pretty good damage. I minor a heal to Arust, then attack with Dissonant Strain, but miss. The hulk maintains his hold on Arust.  Then three young Shadow Hulks appear behind, one each, of me, Gnolldeath, and Straelyn. The one behind me hits Flick and Cynrain with the gaze. The one behind Straelyn hits Straelyn and Arust. The one behind Gnolldeath hits no one.  Those hit are dazed. The one infront of me hits one and misses one, doing a little. The one on Strae crits once and misses. The one on Gnolldeath hits once and misses once, doing a little.

Arust uses Hawk Talon on the one on me, and hits it pretty well. Brenna manages to attack Cynrain and misses, then saves. Flick uses Black Damage Rage on the Shadow Hulk, misses, but still does a little damage. The great part is, is that the acid ongoing blinds it, he saves against the daze.  The giants shoot me and Gnolldeath, I get hit for a little. Arust uses a belt surge on me. Cynrain Blade Vaults, but misses. He saves against the daze. Straelyn conjures a wall of light, and puts it over Arust, Brenn, and Cynrain. The one on Strealyn doesn't daze anyone, but hits him once for a little. The one on Gnolldeath dazes but doesn't daze anyone, it crits and misses. The one near me dazes but misses us all, and swings at me twice, hitting twice and grabs me.

Arust uses uses Confounding Arrows and dazes all of them, and hits the one by me. Brenna ilusory ambushes the Hulk, doing some damage. She puts up guardian blades, and shifts along the wall.  Flick steps back, and charges the big guy but is adjacent to the little one on me too. Hits the big guy hard. They are both blind. Cynrain got hit by magic missiles and bloodied, Straelyn too. Cynrain moves to flank the one on me with Flick, and hits it. Straelyn drops his three beacons of light, hitting the big on and the one on me, hits the little one, misses the big one. They both take some damage. He teleports me out of the grab and into the Light Wall. I use a Majestic word on Cynrain and take my second Wind. The one that was on me, attacks Cynrain, but he's blind and misses. The one on Gnolldeath looks on maddeningly because of the daze, hitting Gnolly and Brenna. The one on Straelyn misses him and Arust.

Arust uses Pounding Barrage and hits the one that was on me twice and bloodies it, he used elven accuracy. The giants crit Straelyn and hit me, I'm bloodied again. Flick steps back and charges the one that was by me, then clobbers the heck out of it. Cynrain annihilates it with a massive crit. First enemy down.  Cheer!!  Straelyn maintains the wall, uses his boots to teleport Cynrain next to the one by him, then heals Arust for a surge. I move to the other end of the light wall and sing Song of Conquest. The one near Gnolldeath stuns me, Arust and Brenna.  The one by Straelyn stuns Cynrain and Straelyn, it then attacks Straelyn, crits once, misses other. He's bloodied.

Arust misses with Hammering Volley then fails his save. Brenna hits that one, and saves. Flick moves over and charges it, flanking it. He unleashes big damage on it.  The giants magic missile Cynrain for just a little. Cynrain hits well but fails his save. Straelyn maintains the wall at the expense of another action, and fails his save. I miss with Theft of Life, but maintain the zone. The one by Straelyn attacks Straelyn and double crits. He's dropped, and uses his Amulet of Death Deferred to come back at just a few hit points.

Arust misses with Stab and Shoot, but makes his save. Brenna hits the little guy by Straelyn. Flick backs up and charges bloodying the thing. The Giants attack Arust both hit. He's in super rough shape. Cynrain hits the bloodied one well.  Straelyn takes ongoing, and uses a second wind, saves. I force Arust to use a Second Wind and maintain the song. The one on Straelyn maintains the hold but misses him. The one on Gnolldeath stuns me, but no one else and misses him.

Arust hits the bloodied one twice and takes more ongoing. Brenna misses the blooddied one. Flick misses with his backup charge. Giants are shooting Arust, hit once and crit once. Arust gets dropped. Cynrain drops the bloodied one and moves to flank the last one with Gnolly. Straelyn moves over and uses Bolt of the Rising Sun on one of the giants, hitting for a little and blocking his LOS. Then he tosses a minor heal on Arust. I maintain the song and fail my save. The big one gazes and hits Strae, me, Arust, GD, and Brenna. Her blades damage it. Brenna is hit, but teleports away.  Then it hits Arust with its second attack. The last little one dazes Arust and then misses GD with his attacks.  Then the chimes from the church of Sehanine goes off and we get a second wind without spending a surge. The silver song also lets Brenna, me, Arust, and Straelyn make saves, and we shug off the maddening gaze.

Arust delays for Straelyn. Brenna hits the big guy with a Dazzling Orb, for some radiant damage and dazing him. Flick charges with a Howling Strike, but misses, then spends an action point for a Rage Strike. He hits him F'ing hard. The giants leave the field back into the dark. Arust hears confusion over the stone, "They're retreating?!"  Cynrain hits the little guy, for some good damage. Straelyn stands Arust up, and misses with one, then hits the little guy for some damage. Arust twin shots the little guy, crits once and hits once. He bloodies the little guy and saves. I maintain the song and save. The big guy attacks Flick, both hits hit, he's grabbed.  The little guy is confused by the knives in the back, the arrows in the face, and the damn bear. He hits with both, and then grabs him.

Brenna ambushes the little guy as the mythal comes back up. She hits him and he takes some damage. Flick is bloodied as it chews on him, and uses his Second Wind as a free action. Then he drops a recuperating strike on it, and gives himself some temp hp. Cynrain swings at the little guy and deals some mad damage. Straelyn fires a fireball at the little guy, hitting him, and doing a little damage. Arust marks the little guy, hits him twice but doesn't drop him. I maintain and save. Both maintain their grabs and one misses GD.

Brenna crits the little guy and drops him. Flick takes less from the ongoing, and then chops at the big one. He hits with recuperating again and almost bloodies him. Cynrain charges and hits once good. Straelyn hits and gives a bonus to damage. Arust marks the big one; then misses once and hits once, doing good damage. I misdirected mark, but miss. The big guy chews on Flick.

Brenna dazes him and we start working through him. Eventually we finish him off, and again reform the lines. I try to minister to all the wounded I can while doing Song of Rest. The giants retreated and left some trapped in the mythal, no one is sure why, because they weren't really losing. I ask if rest of city is guarded, and other patrols don't report activity.  Epic fights happened as well, with many Formori Totemists smashing things, as well as other big dark fey smashing things. The Coronal and her Coronal Guard face a Frost Blight Treant on the east side of the city.

During the break, Arust says shoot a magic missile into the darkness. Through the channel, someone asks "Is it supposed to do that?"  Then someone else says shoot more.  It has aparently been solidified and we're unable to pass out. The Eldrich guys changed it and now we're largely trapped inside.

Several minutes pass as unrest builds among the heroics. Then a call comes to Arust alone on the city stone, "Send your Arcanes to the keep."  Arust sends Cynrain with to guard us, and we get into the control room. Cyrain then returns. The mystical circlets they wear have diamonds in them and the diamonds are black. Cyn also notices that a noble wizard was ganked in the room, he's of some power, paragon of the Coronol's guard. His throat was cut by an assassin.  Cowlenn Moonrage was left by the Coronal to guard it, but someone killed him before he could get word out. Dulciea Frostmoon is briefing him, an upper echelon aide to the Archmage. He says we'll be staying to help figure it out until we figure it out.

Arust told me later that Aramil called them to a nearby bar and he briefed them about what is going on.  He also says we're going to be going on hunting parties once we start ferreting out the Drow who he assumes are still in the city.

At dawn we're called to the north edge of the Mythal where we meet up with Arust and the others. Some of the darkness has pulled back and we see a ring of runes going around the outside of the mythal.  There are also tents for the drow to sleep in during the day.